Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

We may be fully co-dependent at this point. I am not sure, but today feels something like the famous scene in Strange Brew when the brothers split up for the first time in their lives to go off and fight the forces of evil conspiring to rule the world through an additive in Candian beer. They look at each other, a look of uncertainty written on their faces, as if their world is changing. That is how today feels, for Christine and I are splitting up for two weeks of travel ON OUR OWN.

Well, not fully on our own. I am flying back to Indonesia to join a friend we met in Vietnam, who also happens to be a surfer, for almost two weeks of surfing on the island of Sumbawa. Christine is meeting his wife here on the Malaysian Peninsula. They plan on travelling up to the Perhentian Islands together, where they hope to take a dive course. Boy trip and Girl Trip 2007 is about to begin.

So we will see how it goes. We left Penang last night on the overnight express train to Kuala Lumpur, where we now are, killing a few hours before our respective transports whisk us away from each other. Penang, while not a particularily slow and relaxed city, was a very slow and relaxed stop for us after what felt like weeks of constant GOING on Borneo. We didn't do a whole lot of anything except wander around the dirty city and ponder the clash of cultures occuring there. We were raised to see America as the great melting pot, but we have nothing to this part of Malaysia, with its mix of Indian, Chinese and Malay people. Many hold tight to traditional modes of dress and language, while at the same time creating a unified national feeling. Most folks are at least tri-lingual.

While in Penang we did do as much exploring of its history as possible. Georgetown, where we stayed, was founded by the British East India Company as a foot-hold in a strategically important location during the late-1800's. The fort they established (which is still there and just a few blocks from where we stayed), is named fort cornwallis - named after the very same Cornwallis that surrended to the American revolutionary forces in Yorktown, just a few miles from where my parents live. By the time the fort was established he was Governor-General in India, with control of British Interests in Malaya. The history of European intervention in Malaya is fascinating, starting with the Portugese, then the Dutch, then the British. It mirrors, in some ways, the collusion between private global corporations and governments that we see nowadays in the oil industry and, for that reason, we find it fascinating to try to learn about. Not a lot on that particular subject in the museums in Penang, though. What a surprise!

Less than a month remains for us in Asia. We fly to Paris on the 24th of May. We've made some very exciting arranagements in France, and have connected with some people through some on-line travellers networks who are going to lend us their bicycles. We plan on spending about 2.5 weeks cycling in southern france and basque spain. pretty cool.

so we continue with our miserable life style, doing lame stuff...how are we ever going to return to work?

-ian

Two New Must See Films

Really, Probably the films of the decade...

Or maybe not... We just posted two films, both chronicling little adventures in Sarawak, Borneo. Why, you ask, do we (or i should say i...) waste expensive computer time doing this? I am not quite sure. But I hope you enjoy them.

First, our visit to Wind Cave. Click Here.

Next, our visit to the world-famous (you have heard of it, haven't you?) Cat Museum. Click Here.

Remember, all of our films that we post are archived. just follow the "Film Archive" link at www.christineandian.com

- Ian

I'll get you and your little bread too!!!

Maybe you like me, recall watching the Wizard of Oz as a child and cowering into your parent in great fear as the evil flying monkeys took center stage hovering over the Wicked Witch of the West who then cackled out her infamous phrase ..."I'll get you and your little dog too!!!"

Aside, from one less than pleasant monkey incident that literally brought life to the phrase "spanking the monkey" at the Toledo Zoo along with my sister Michele and nephew Ethan, I generally take great joy in watching monkeys frolic in the trees. Ian on the other hand, has a most relished phrase of "... Yeah, and that monkey wants to bite your face off !! ", each time I coo over adorableness of the monkeys we come into contact with. Which, leads me to believe that for many of us, the Wizard of Oz has played a significant role in shaping our worldview of monkeys.

Where is this story going? It is leading to our most recent and final travels in Borneo. We headed to the island of Bako to take in one last national park. This one in particular, famed for the proboscis monkey and bearded pigs running about the island. Upon our arrival we were warned by park rangers and various signs in the park to watch out for the "naughty" macaque monkeys. 15 minutes into the visit while walking the 10 feet between the visitors center and the lunch area with a loaf of bread, a monkey dropped from a tree then ran at me with a fare amount of speed, and launched into my chest to swipe the bread. With flashes of the Discovery Channel Documentaries "When Animals Attack" rolling through my thoughts, I threw the bread and screamed as a park ranger came to my rescue. Naughty might of been an understatement and more appropriate would be a picture of the evil flying monkeys posted at every cabin entrance and welcome area to really bring home the point. In the afternoon upon our return from hiking one monkey we passed apparently decided she did not like the look of Ian. Though, I have always been doubtful of his cynical view of the monkeys, she turned to give him a look that truly seemed to say," I can bite your face off you know " and then proceeded to chase him about the field. After a few circles she retreated and he escaped without a bite.

Aside from this unfortunate monkey business, we were awed by the beauty of the jungle dripping with green, the endless expanse of tree roots and strangler vines cutting into limestone outcrops, carnivorous pitcher plants, the ear piercing buzz of insects, and lovely little waterfalls. We did come across the bearded pigs and the much more subdued proboscis monkeys who only faintly looked up from their leaf eating to have their picture taken.

Satisfied, we have put our eco-adventures aside for the moment and have moved on to Peninsula Malaysia where we are currently in Penang taking in the amalgam of cultures that makes up Malaysia- Chinese shop houses, women in saris, others in head scarves, chatter from the mosque in the distance and fragrant smell of Indian spices spilling out into the street. life continues to roll along....

B is still for Borneo

Its just that we've moved to the other side of the island.

And here they go (and you will notice this time, after finding myself unable to format properly and having "Buttloads of Primates" end up right next to the photo of Christine on the last blog, that I am not going to even try to line things up....)

B is still for Blood Sucking Beasties, one of which nailed christine on the ankle. She madly jerked it off before I could get a photo, but just look at that huge wound!

B is also for Bionic Flowers. We spent the last two days on the hunt for Rafflesia, the world's largest flower,a nd were lucky to find one in full bloom. Later we went out with a young ranger in training who was stoked to show us her fave - Amorphophallus (you figure out the latin). that is her snapping away at the, well, phallic thing. Its a contender for the worlds biggest flower, and is definitely taller than the ground hugging rafflesia

B is for Bats and Birdsnests. This afternoon we explored one of the many caves here, and saw an absolute butt ton of bats. I didn't know that so many exist in the world, and that they create so much crap. We also got to see swiftlets, sitting on their highly valuable nests, which are sold to china for soup. go figure...

Booze. Couldn't help this one. After coming out of the cave we were accosted by a group of guys, "you come over and join us!". They fed me some manner of liquor. Still don't know what it was. After drink 4 it came out that these guys were all members of the Biyaduh tribe, with the tattoos to prove it. 100 years ago they might have took my head for a wall decoration. literally. they seemed friendly enough though.

B is for Borneo

B is also for...

Beth and Adam, who we travelled with for 10 days, here on the summit of Mount Kinabalu

The Blue sea and the things it contains, some of which we came face to face with at amazing Sipadan Island in the Celebes Sea (check the videos too! here and here

Butt Loads of Primates - like rodents here

Bootylicious Christine - looking hot on a boat off of Mabul Island

"Bloody Hell" which is how one guy we passed on the trail referred to the climb up 12000 foot mt kinabalu. We are still sore.

Brown Muddy Rivers - and our failed expedition in search of the Bornean Elephant

Blood Suckers and other Beasties - I actually got my first leech!
A Break - sorely needed after these last 11 days of intense "eco-tourism". Time to stop for a bit. We are searching out a place to kick back for a few weeks, maybe volunteer short term (surprisingly hard) or just stop moving. Its kind of hard to do, we will see if we can make it happen.

Blessings, Bliss and Near-Death Experiences in Bali

Okay, don't get too excited about the near-death experiences reference mom. Its not that bad. We've spent the last five days in Bingen, Bali, south of Kuta. Christine was kind enough to give me the time to dedicate entirely to surfing and, despite being an inherently crappy surfer (something that, while I can hide it in some places, becomes stunningly apparent here where the world's surfers gather) and horribly out of shape, I tried to take advantage of Bali's incredible wave climate to surf at least two sessions a day.

The water is warm and, just like you might read about in the magazines, the waves are incredible here. Even during a crappy swell, which our visit overlapped, the waves were still incredible - like the best of a Washington wave. We rented a motorbike with a surf rack, got a pretty nice surf board for $4 a day, and surfed as widely as possible - Uluwatu, Bingen, Sanur, Nusa Dua, Padang Padang and Kuta itself.

I surfed Uluwatu twice, which, because of the small swell, had the best wave, and also the best paddle out. You had to enter the water through sort of a rock slot formed in the cliff. It was a bit harrowing, with water sloshing around like a blender, but also very satisfying. Both days I was there as women came down to leave offerings at the rocks, something that you see everywhere in Bali.

So, the near death experiences. There were two. All of these waves are formed when swell meets coral reef, making them particularily harrowing take offs, especially at low tide. And at Bingen, just in front of the guesthouse we stayed at, I did indeed get dragged over the reef, turning my left arm, as well as a few other parts of my body, into a map of scratches and scabs. As i walked back up to our guesthouse, dripping blood, a knot of local boy wonder surfers were laughing at me, pointing and saying, "a gift from Bingen to take home!". Indeed.

The second experience was far more powerful, frightening and exhilerating at the same time. On my last day of surfing I paddled out at Padang Padang after surfing at Uluwatu all morning. I was beat, but thought I better take advantage of whatever energy I could muster to surf just a little more. After getting beat up a few times by sets I was heading back out to the line up when I looked down and watched, just a foot or so below my board, the passing tail of a large shark crusing by, heading in towards shore. Well, I nearly crapped myself, but tried to hold it together long enough to look back to try to confirm what I had just seen. Sure enough, I saw a tell tale boil on the surface when the shark turned. It must have been about 7 or 8 feet, but I couldn't tell what species it might have been. It didn't really matter to me at that point. I paddled straight for the wave, feet lifted out of the water, and tried to ride a few breaking waves into shore. I never saw it again, kept all of my hands and feet, and when I reached shore and told a guy from Hawaii that was on the beach he seemed distinctly unimpressed (apparently surfers in Hawaii wrestles sharks all of the time. In the cold water I surf there is only one kind and people don't wrestle with them). Regardless, it was one of the single most exciting wildlife sightings I've ever had.

We flew yesterday to Malaysian Borneo, where we plan to spend the next 3 weeks, some of it with Beth and Adam again. This will be the national park segment of our trip, and we've got plans to visit numerous parks, climb mountains, see amazing wildlife, that kind of thing. Doing well as usual, but missing home and all of you all the same.

Ian